# What causes a tight draw?



## n0s4atu

Ok, so I posted this in the Habanos section, because I've only had the issue with my CC for some reason. My humidor is currently around 65% rh and the temp is around 68 degrees F. Are they simply rolled too tight? Need more rest (the freshest one was from Mar 15, but most had 2 years or so on them)? The ring gauges were mainly in the 42 range, but yesterday I had a Monte Edmundo and the best way to describe the draw was like drinking a milkshake that's too thick. Where it was smoking pretty well, but I really had to work to get a decent puff. After 30 minutes of this I threw in the towel. 


From the same humidor I've recently had great smoking cigars with zero draw issues, so I'm at a loss for what it may be and figured I'd ask the experts. Thanks.


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## Navistar

How long have you had them at 65%? it doesn't matter how old they are if they were kept at 70%+ humidities in a warehouse.


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## Rondo

What cut are you using?
Have you seen the Modus tool? It works great for opening up,tight sticks.


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## Bird-Dog

Tight draws are not uncommon with CC's. Sometimes it's just plain being over filled, sometimes humidity issues, sometimes a plug or twisted bunch. It's not unusual to find a knot near the head, around where the band goes. I'm guessing that has something to do with the pressure of the roller's fingers at certain points. Dunno', but I do think a twist in the filler bunch is the most common culprit.

Personally I like a pretty free-flowing draw. @*Rondo* mentioned the Modus Cigar Tool, which is my creation (thanks for the plug Ron, NPI). But, whether you get one of those, one of the other draw tools available commercially, or make a homemade poker, they do come in handy for solving draw issues. Won't fix 'em all, but they do save a lot of cigars that would otherwise be wasted. I use mine quite often to improve the draw on cigars that are technically fine as-is too; meaning even if the cigar draws okay, I will still work on it a little more sometimes to get it just the way I like it.


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## n0s4atu

I actually do have the Modus and used it in all cases and should have mentioned that. Prior to this, I've used the other end to nub the cigars, but I was glad I had it on hand for these. Even with it though the draw was still ridiculous. I'll leave them rest a bit more before visiting them again, just in case it was the fact they were over humidified.


I think my biggest mistake was not making sure the draw was to my liking prior to firing it up thinking that it may loosen up some as it got going. If I notice it again I'm going to get some better practice in with the Modus and see if I can get my technique down.


Rondo, I'm using just a basic guillotine cut. Heck one time I was so dissatisfied with the draw I made a second cut taking the poor cap completely off, which didn't help the draw any but definitely made the cigar start to come apart. lol


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## TonyBrooklyn

n0s4atu said:


> Ok, so I posted this in the Habanos section, because I've only had the issue with my CC for some reason. My humidor is currently around 65% rh and the temp is around 68 degrees F. Are they simply rolled too tight? Need more rest (the freshest one was from Mar 15, but most had 2 years or so on them)? The ring gauges were mainly in the 42 range, but yesterday I had a Monte Edmundo and the best way to describe the draw was like drinking a milkshake that's too thick. Where it was smoking pretty well, but I really had to work to get a decent puff. After 30 minutes of this I threw in the towel.
> 
> From the same humidor I've recently had great smoking cigars with zero draw issues, so I'm at a loss for what it may be and figured I'd ask the experts. Thanks.


9 out of 10 tight or plugged Cubans. Can be explained by over humidification IMHO. I never thought this to be true. But a couple of years back i ran some experiments. Along with the incite and voice of reason from other members from here. I came to the conclusion that 65% is just too high. when i got down to 63 things got better 60 over half the unsmokeable cigars i had were smokeable. I settled in at around 55-57% and now live quite happily. :vs_cool:


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## n0s4atu

TonyBrooklyn said:


> 9 out of 10 tight or plugged Cubans. Can be explained by over humidification IMHO. I never thought this to be true. But a couple of years back i ran some experiments. Along with the incite and voice of reason from other members from here. I came to the conclusion that 65% is just too high. when i got down to 63 things got better 60 over half the unsmokeable cigars i had were smokeable. I settled in at around 55-57% and now live quite happily. :vs_cool:


 Thanks Tony, I've always been worried about drying my sticks out too much, but it sounds like maybe the opposite is true.


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## Chad Vegas

TonyBrooklyn said:


> 9 out of 10 tight or plugged Cubans. Can be explained by over humidification IMHO. I never thought this to be true. But a couple of years back i ran some experiments. Along with the incite and voice of reason from other members from here. I came to the conclusion that 65% is just too high. when i got down to 63 things got better 60 over half the unsmokeable cigars i had were smokeable. I settled in at around 55-57% and now live quite happily. :vs_cool:


That's good to know. I don't mess with too many CC's, but next time I get some I will lower my humidity!


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## Grey Goose

n0s4atu said:


> Ok, so I posted this in the Habanos section, because I've only had the issue with my CC for some reason. My humidor is currently around 65% rh and the temp is around 68 degrees F. Are they simply rolled too tight? Need more rest (the freshest one was from Mar 15, but most had 2 years or so on them)? The ring gauges were mainly in the 42 range, but yesterday I had a Monte Edmundo and the best way to describe the draw was like drinking a milkshake that's too thick. Where it was smoking pretty well, but I really had to work to get a decent puff. After 30 minutes of this I threw in the towel.


Well now that is the question isn't it...

Try 60-62ish% RH...

...let us know when you figure it out. ;-)


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## Joe Sticks

Does too low of an RH plug cigars ? If so, how dry does it have to be - - like a desert ?

I ask, because I ran into a time period when three of the cigars I tried had a very tight draw.
They were smoked over a three or four day period. They were from different makers & they weren't
all stored in the same tupperdors. All had 65% Bovedas. I had been outta town prior and outside temps
were in the 90s, but all indications were that the sticks never got above 71F. I was puzzled as to what 
happened. It just seemed like too much of a coincidence to come across three tight sticks in a row.
I dunno.

I don't recall if all the sticks were from the same online vendor. These were all NCs though. (Didnt want to start
a new thread in the NC section to ask the same question.)


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## Grey Goose

Joe Sticks said:


> Does too low of an RH plug cigars ? If so, how dry does it have to be - - like a desert ?
> 
> I ask, because I ran into a time period when three of the cigars I tried had a very tight draw.
> They were smoked over a three or four day period. They were from different makers & they weren't
> all stored in the same tupperdors. All had 65% Bovedas. I had been outta town prior and outside temps
> were in the 90s, but all indications were that the sticks never got above 71F. I was puzzled as to what
> happened. It just seemed like too much of a coincidence to come across three tight sticks in a row.
> I dunno.
> 
> I don't recall if all the sticks were from the same online vendor. These were all NCs though. (Didnt want to start
> a new thread in the NC section to ask the same question.)


Too low an extended RH may cause some complications, plugging a cigar is not one of them.


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## TonyBrooklyn

Joe Sticks said:


> Does too low of an RH plug cigars ? If so, how dry does it have to be - - like a desert ?
> 
> I ask, because I ran into a time period when three of the cigars I tried had a very tight draw.
> They were smoked over a three or four day period. They were from different makers & they weren't
> all stored in the same tupperdors. All had 65% Bovedas. I had been outta town prior and outside temps
> were in the 90s, but all indications were that the sticks never got above 71F. I was puzzled as to what
> happened. It just seemed like too much of a coincidence to come across three tight sticks in a row.
> I dunno.
> 
> I don't recall if all the sticks were from the same online vendor. These were all NCs though. (Didnt want to start
> a new thread in the NC section to ask the same question.)


I like the 110 rule.
Never below 50% never above 60%.:vs_cool:


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## Regiampiero

It could be many things, but most of the times it's just error in the rolling process, and there's not much you can do. It happens to the best of companies from time to time. 

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## jjjoseph

TonyBrooklyn said:


> 9 out of 10 tight or plugged Cubans. Can be explained by over humidification IMHO. I never thought this to be true. But a couple of years back i ran some experiments. Along with the incite and voice of reason from other members from here. I came to the conclusion that 65% is just too high. when i got down to 63 things got better 60 over half the unsmokeable cigars i had were smokeable. I settled in at around 55-57% and now live quite happily. :vs_cool:


Does this apply to your NC sticks as well (if you own any lol)? Its been a while since I left but, I think I used to keep my tupperdor around 65%+. It was mostly NC cigars but, now that I'm getting back into smoking, I'm thinking of going a little drier this time around.


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## UBC03

Ya 65 is good..I run 63-65 on ncs..61-63 on ccs

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## avitti

A tight draw like Jack aka Bird Dog stated is from cigars rolled to tight-too much tobacco or an obstruction.
Like Tony Brooklyn stated 90% of the time its probably over humidified cigars.
You have to find your own sweet spot on how low you want your rh to be and then off course maintain that number as close as possible moving forward. You should take into account how fast you smoke as the drier you make your cigars the quicker they will burn.If you are a fast smoker and make the cigar burn hot you might miss out on some of the flavors and nuances of your smoke. I like my cigar at 61 rh -if they hit 59 i give them dw-if in the summer they hit 63 i'll dry them down 
I also have the Modus tool and i only use it when absolutely necessary.No sense in operating on the patient when only patience is needed.


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## TheGipper

They definitely tend to roll 'em tighter in La Habana, when compared to non-Cubans. I prefer a fairly open draw.

I keep everything for short term storage at 62% and I still get a lot of tight draws on Cubans (about 3-4 sticks per box, on average). I *always* test the draw before lighting. I've set up a "penalty box" where the tight draws go (actually just a few big ziploc 2 gallon bags) that goes back into the humidor. I give them 6-12 months or so and test the draw again. About 50% of them open up and are smokable after a 6 month "minor" or a 12 month "double minor".

If still tight, it goes back into the penalty box for another rest. A 24 month "misconduct" penalty.

Sometimes it takes many years, but I find about 90% of all tight/no draws eventually open up and become smokeable. The added benefit is they are nicely aged by then! Rarely do I have to hand out a "game misconduct" penalty to a cigar and throw it away completely.

I have some 2002 H. Upmann Monarchs that are only just now opening up to a reasonable draw. Came close to tossing the entire box in the trash a few times, and thankfully didn't. They are fantastic now. So don't give up on anything (if you can spare the space)!

I've tried using draw tools and they pretty much never result in a pleasurable experience. It seems to always ruin the burn and/or the flavor. Using a draw tool isn't worth it to me.


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## TonyBrooklyn

jjjoseph said:


> Does this apply to your NC sticks as well (if you own any lol)? Its been a while since I left but, I think I used to keep my tupperdor around 65%+. It was mostly NC cigars but, now that I'm getting back into smoking, I'm thinking of going a little drier this time around.


Sorry no non Cubans here!:vs_cool:


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## jjjoseph

lol I kind of figured. I remember only seeing you in the habano section 😄


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## Tabloid Snapper

Tight draw is primarily lack of consistant exactly the same amount of tabacco & roll from Cigar to Cigar in handmade Cigars. I never recall when I use to hand out in Miami at Cigar Factories.

Assuming storage is at proper RH, and Tempeature.

The tabacco being weighed or measured for each cigar, then when binder & wrapper are applied by hand.

I believe all this "hand" work varies from person to person. Different roller hand work different then their fellow employees.


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## TonyBrooklyn

jjjoseph said:


> lol I kind of figured. I remember only seeing you in the habano section &#128516;


You got me JOE i confess:vs_cool:


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## Champagne InHand

I think with your CC and rH YMMV. I age them at 69rH. I haven't had any plug save the Mille Fleurs which are constantly plugged but the MODUS tool takes care of those. I've tried lowering the rH with those to less than 65. Same issue. This big fat 50 Magnum was at 69rH. No draw issues but wanted to burn wonky in the wind. 
Even my smaller rGs are fine at 65-69rH but they need to be puffed not huffed. Same said for thinner NCs that are longer or shorter save a few brands. 

I think if you age the CCs below 60rH they dry out and the flavor changing process halts. I don't want that. I would rather dry box for a couple days in a separate humidor or plain Cuban cigar box. 


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## UBC03

Champagne InHand said:


> I think with your CC and rH YMMV. I age them at 69rH. I haven't had any plug save the Mille Fleurs which are constantly plugged but the MODUS tool takes care of those. I've tried lowering the rH with those to less than 65. Same issue. This big fat 50 Magnum was at 69rH. No draw issues but wanted to burn wonky in the wind.
> Even my smaller rGs are fine at 65-69rH but they need to be puffed not huffed. Same said for thinner NCs that are longer or shorter save a few brands.
> 
> I think if you age the CCs below 60rH they dry out and the flavor changing process halts. I don't want that. I would rather dry box for a couple days in a separate humidor or plain Cuban cigar box.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


This is the point of the forum. There's different ways to meet the same goal.

I keep mine 63-65 NC.. 61-63 CC to avoid plugged cigars. It works for me, but it's not for everyone.

It's trial and error till you find out what works for you.

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## Champagne InHand

Yep. The Boli Royal Corona smoked just fine at 69rH. A damn tasty treat everybody should try. 


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